Demountable valve guard for saxophones and the like



Aug. 19, 1947. E. J. GILLESP IE 2,425,795

DEMOUNT ABLE VALVE GUARD FOR SAXOPHONES AND THE LIKE 7 Filed Feb. 25, 1945 INVENTOR.

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Patented Aug. 19, 1947 DEMOUNTABLE VALVE GUARD FQR SAXOPHONES AND THE LIKE Earl J. Gillespie, Elkhart, Ind, assignor to lhe Martin Band Instrument Company, Ellrhart, Ind, a corporation of Indiana Application February 23, 1945, Serial No. 579,323

(Cl. 8A385) Claims. 1

This invention relates, in general, to musical instruments, and has particular relation to an improved demountable valve guard for saxophones and the like.

It is known that wood wind instruments are musical instruments in which the length of a pulsating column of air and the number of segments in which the pulsating column is divided may be altered by opening lateral ports controlled by valves or pads operated from the key mechanism of the instrument, for example, through suitable valve arms.

Guards have commonly been provided for guarding these valves or pads and the valve arms against injury which otherwise might occur. Unless properly guarded, the valves or pads, valve arms, or the hinges carrying same, or other parts, might be moved out of proper position or become distorted or bent, for example, by engagement with the clothing or other objects.

So far, the only removable guards that have been proposed have not been able to withstand normal use and handling of the instrument without becoming loose, with resulting wear in the guard attachment means, rattle, misalignment or interference with proper operation of the instrument. For example, in one previous form of attachment permitting removal and replacement of the guard, inwardly directed ends of the guard elements have been inserted in posts and set screws have been engaged in circumferential grooves in the inserted ends to hold the guard removably in place. This form of attachment permits the guard quickly to become loose under normal use and handling of the instrument, with the objectionable results set forth and other disadvantages. As a result, guards of the class described are usually fixedly secured in place against removal from the tubular body of the instrument. Where the guards are fixed against removal, the workmans difficulties in finishing the instrument are increased, and access to the valves or pads, valve arms, or the hinges carrying same or other parts, for example, for adjustment, cleaning or the like, is dificult.

One of the main objects of the present invention is to provide an improved form of demountable valve guard and attachment therefor of the class described which will not have the objectionable results set forth and other disadvantages encountered with the previously proposed de mountable guards.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved form of demountable valve guard and attachment therefor of the class described with which the guard may be securely and firmly locked in place against becoming loose and against rattle, misalignment, or interference with proper operation of the instrument; also an improved demountable valve guard and attachment therefor which will permit ready removal and replacement of the guard.

Another object of the invention is to provide a demountable valve guard of the class described and attachment therefor having various features of novelty and advantages, and further characterized by its simplicity in construction, its effectiveness in use, its pleasing appearance, and its ease and economy in manufacture and assembly.

Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide a demountable valve guard of the class described and attachment therefor comprising internally threaded posts secured to the tubular body of the instrument, a demountable guard for the valve means, attachment'parts fixed to the guard and having openings to fit demountably over the posts, shoulders on the attachment members, and screws having shanks adapted to be inserted into the openings in the attachment parts and screwed into the posts, the screws being provided with heads adapted, when the screws are screwed into the posts, to engage the shoulders firmly and securely and, at the same time, demountably to secure the guard in place On the tubular body.

Another more specific object of the invention is to provide in a device of the character set forth shoulders located within the openings in the attachment parts and spaced inwardly from the outer sides of these parts so that the heads of the attachment screws, when engaged with the shoulders, will enter and be positioned within the outer ends of the openings in the attachment parts.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates the manner of constructing and operating one form of demountable valve guard and attachment embodying the present invention.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevational view of a saxophone having a demountable valve guard and attachment embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the saxophone, with demountable valve guard and attachment as shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view through one of the demountable valve guard attachments and the adjacent portion or the wall of the tubular body of the instrument taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the invention is shown, for purposes of illustration, embodied in a saxophone which comprises a tubular body composed of the longitudinal tubular portion I which is preferably tapered, the bend 2, and the hell or flare 3, these three parts being firmly united, for example, by soldering or the like.

The bell 3 of the instrument has lateral ports controlled by valves or pads 4 and 5 which, for example, may be the B-fiat and B-naturalvalves of the instrument, or other valves or pads. The valves 4 and 5 are carried by or mounted on arms 6 and 1, respectively, which are actuated, for example, through hinge sleeves or rods 8 and 9 from suitable key mechanism not shown.

The demountable valve guard I!) selected for illustration comprises an open framework composed of an inner guard element ID of open and generally looped form, with a generally looped outer guard element H! united thereto at I Do, for example, by soldering or the like, and a guard element Hl' similarly united to the guard element ID" at lb. The guard thus formed is of pleasing appearance, and extends beyond the valves 4 and 5 and over the arms 6 and 1 and the hinges carrying same, effectively to protect these parts against injury.

Four short posts 12 extend outwardly from plates which are soldered or otherwise fixed to the tubular body of the instrument. In the i1- lustrated embodiment of the invention, one of these posts I2 is shown fixed to the tubular por tion I, another to the bend 2, and two posts 12 are fixed to the bell 3, but this may, of course, vary. Each post I 2 has a shoulder I3 at the inner end of its outer surface, and each post is internally threaded at M.

At one end the guard element tachment part l5 of generally knob-like form fixed thereto, and at the opposite end of the guard the guard element 1' has a similar attachment part l5 fixed thereto. The out-turned ends of the inwardly directed portions of the guard element l" have similar generally knob-like attachment parts I5, I fixed thereto. The knoblike attachment parts [5 may be formed integral with the respective guard elements, or firmly joined or secured thereto-by soldering or the like.

As shown in detail in Figure 3, each attach ment part 5 has an opening l6 which fits demountably and preferably tightly over its attachment post [2.

ID has an atspaced inwardly from the outer sides or outer ends of the respective attachment parts. Screws l8 have shanks which are adapted to be inserted into the openings l6 and screwed into the posts [2. These screws l8 are provided with heads I 9 adapted, when the screws are screwed into their respective posts 12, to engage the internal shoulders l1 firmly and securely and at the same time demountably to secure the guard in place on the tubular body of the instrument.

When the guard I!) is thus secured in place, the knob-like attachment parts l5 are clamped tightly between the shoulders l3 and the heads IQ of screws 18. The guard I0 is thus securely and firmly locked in place against becoming loose and against rattle, misalignment or interference with the proper operation of the instrument. The

guard elements forming the guard preferably have resilience or springiness which permits the attachment parts I 5 to be sprung into place over the posts l2 further to eliminate any possibility that the attachments will become loose or that they will rattle in the use and handling of the instrument.

At the same time, the tubular body of the instrument may be finished before the guard I0 is applied, and the guard may then be quickly and conveniently secured in place. And it may be readily removed for adjustments, cleaning or the like, and readily replaced. When in place, any resilience or springiness in the guard elements operates against the sides of the fixed posts I 2 and not against or along the clamped or engagement contact of the parts which would tend to loosen the attachment and produce rattlin and other objectionable results.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be expressly understood that said drawing and the accompanying specification are not to be construed as a definition of the limits or scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for that purpose.

I claim:

1. In an instrument of the class described having a tubular body and valve means therefor, the combination with said instrument of a mounting member having a .base fixed to the body of the instrument, an integral internally threaded post extending from said base, an abutment shoulder on said base at the inner end 01' said post, a guard for said valve means, an attachment member Of protuberant form fixed to said guard and having an opening extending therethrough and of a diameter for a distance greater than the length of said post to fit telescopically over said post, a shoulder at the inner end of said attachment member adapted to seat against the abutment shoulder on the base of said mounting member, the outer end of the opening which extends through said attachment member being countersunk to form a shoulder at the outer end of the post fitting diameter of said opening and outwardly of the outer end of said post, and a screw having a. head and a shank adapted to be screwed into said post to position with said head positioned within the countersunk outer end of the openin in said attach ment member and seating against the shoulder in said opening to clamp the attachment member between the head of the screw and the abutment shoulder on said base.

2. In an instrument of the class describeda guard mounting according to claim 1 wherein the guard has springiness which operates against the side of the post and not against the threaded engagement between the screw and the post when the guard is in place.

3. In an instrument of the class described having a tubular body and valve means therefor, the combination with said instrument of a plurality of mounting members each having a base fixed to the body of the instrument, an integral internally threaded post extendin from each base, an abutment shoulder on each base at the inner end of the adjacent post, a guard for said valve means, a plurality of attachment members of protuberant form fixed to said guard and each having an opening extending therethrough and of a diameter for a distance greater than the length of the adjacent post to fit telescopically over said post, a shoulder at the inner end 01 each attachment member adapted to seat against the abutment shoulders on the bases of said mounting members, the outer ends of the openings which extend through said attachment members being countersunk to form shoulders at the outer ends of the post fitting diameters of said openings and outwardly of the outer ends of said posts, and screws having heads and shanks adapted to be screwed into said posts to positions with said heads positioned within the countersunk outer ends of the openings in said attachmerit members and seating against the shoulders in said openings to clamp the attachment membBI's between the heads of the screws and the abutment shoulders on the bases of said mounting members.

4. In an instrument of the class described, a guard mounting according to claim 3 wherein the guard has springiness which operates against the sides of the posts and not against the threaded engagement between the screws and said, posts when the guard is in place.

5. In an instrument of the class described having a tubular body and valve means therefor, the combination with said instrument of a mounting member having a base fixed to the body of the instrument, an integral internally threaded post fixed to said base, a guard for said valve means, said guard having springiness therein, an attachment member fixed to said guard and having an opening extending therethrough and of a diameter for a distance greater than the length of said post to fit telescopically over said post whereby the springiness of the guard operates against the side of the post, and a screw having a head and a shank adapted to be screwed into said post and seating against said attachment member outwardly of the outer end of the post to clamp the attachment member between the head of the screw and the base of said mounting member without operation of the springiness of the guard against said screw connection.

EARL J. GILLESPIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Gerford Nov. 13, 1928 

